cambse Yes, apparently diatomaceous earth is effective for killing slugs. I personally have reservations about using it because I know it also kills beneficial insects as well, such as pollinators of strawberries. So if I can find a solution that works without killing beneficials or changing the chemical composition of my garden, that's what I'm aiming for. So far, wide copper strips seem to be the best answer, though copper doesn't kill the slugs.

Veggie: 1. Did the runners you stuck in the dirt root or not? I assume you know that they root beneath the rosette of leaves at the end of a runner. If there are roots under these new rosettes, you can remove the rest of the runner completely, and you will have a stand-alone plant. If you buried the runners before leaf rosettes formed, you may have prevented the formation of new plants. 2. You don't really winterize containerized strawberries. You move them to a location, such as a garage, shed, or basement, where the roots and the soil will not freeze solid. There is no need to do this until night temperatures fall significantly below freezing, and stay that way. Let the plants go dormant outdoors before moving them into a protected area, which should not be warm enough to break them out of dormancy. Put them back outdoors when temperatures are just creeping back up to 30 degrees or so. Strawberries are tough, and can stand a lot of cold, but they can't be allowed to freeze solid. 3. It is normal for strawberry leaves to die and turn brown as the plant enters dormancy. You can remove them if you like. The important thing is to keep the roots and crown healthy, and protect them from a very hard freeze. 4. It is difficult to keep the same containerized strawberry plants going for years. At least every two years, you should dump out and renew the soil, and replant the younger, more vigorous plants. Do this in very early spring, before the plants come out of dormancy. Throw out plants that have elongated crowns and have been around for two years or more, since their berry production and size will decline substantially. 5. Did you get any strawberries this past season, and what type of strawberry are you growing? Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I was wrong about the number I originally planted per square foot... it was four, not 10 (which I believe is what the guidance says), but they have grown much thicker now and I know I need to do something about them. What's the difference between June bearing and day neutral? They started producing in May and fizzled by early July so I'd guess that means June bearing (although I have gotten the occasional blossom and wimpy little strawberry since then and even now. Maybe I have two different types? I don't foresee myself buying new plants (at least not now), I'd like to be able to thin mine out and maybe a new set up this fall. I wonder if I'd be able to tell the difference between the two types... my guess is the Lowes strawberries are better stock than the 'random hanging basket' strawberries. I think the Lowes plants are the ones that produced the bigger/thicker runners (as I recall my hanging basket having thinner runners before I planted them all together. Maybe if I can reduce my number of plants to just the Lowes plants plus any runners I can have an overall better stock for next year. Now that I talked myself through that (LOL), my real question is how to plant them... leave them in my SFG? Get one of those strawberry towers? Arrange mini raised rows with window planters to keep them contained and easier to pick?

My Little Cado (Dwarf Haas) planted in the ground is still living. It is completely under 50% shade cloth. I planted it against a rock wall with hay bales on the other sides to protect the lower trunk from the heat and wind. It is alive and putting on new growth but it's growth rate is something less than spectacular. Still a thin and spindly looking little tree. I had a volunteer fig tree come up a foot or so from it. I'm going to let that little fig tree remain, as I fully expect the avacado tree to die this year. If anybody reading this has had success with an in ground or potted avacado tree here in Arizona (or south eastern California), I'd sure like to hear about it. Dave